Number of police officer deaths dropped last year, report finds

By LINDSAY WHITEHURST
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — A new report finds the number of police officers who died on the job dropped again last year, including deaths from gunfire, traffic accidents and COVID-19. The report released Thursday by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund found 136 U.S. police officers died in the line of duty in 2023. That’s a decrease of about 39% from the year before, when 224 officers died. A total of 47 officers died after being shot in the line of duty, down 25% from the year before. Officers killed in traffic crashes dropped 27% compared with the year before.